And drumroll…. This year’s Superyacht Chefs' Competition at Sanremo’s 36th MYBA Charter Show came to an exciting end as the horns sounded and crew members packed into the prize-giving ceremony to hear if their yacht had been named a winner.
“We try to pick different themes every year and go through the array of charter meals to challenge them on every meal,” event organizer Sarah Sebastian told Dockwalk. “We decided to do something different this year and chose a breakfast theme.” Every year the standards are high, she added. “They're always well-qualified chefs. And they always think outside the box, going with the current trends of the foods of today.”
If one thing could be said about this year's competition, it was surely one of the prettiest. The theme for this year’s competition was “A Flower Feast for Breakfast,” which paid homage to the host city of Sanremo, famously known as the “City of Flowers”, and the chief stews went to town on the tablescaping, with everything from dramatic driftwood centerpieces to delicate wildflower displays.
Over three days, the judging panel toured 26 yachts and sampled an extraordinary 78 dishes. Judges included Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen — among the first South African chefs to earn a Michelin star — alongside Michelin-starred chef Colin McGurran of Antigua, and Antonio Mellino, who works with his sons at Ristorante Quattro Passi, now proudly holding three Michelin stars.
First, second and third prizes were awarded in three size categories. The winners are:
50 meters and Over
First prize: Chef Andrew Durham of Naia
Second prize: Chef Susan Elliot of Coral Ocean
Third prize: Chef Andrew Clark of Holdin' My Own
Special mentions:
50m and over: Mykhailo Novytskyi & Mariia Mirkhova of Quinta Essentia
36 to 49 meters
First prize: Chef Aiden Farah of Seawolf X
Second prize: Chef Luka Zanko of Noroader
Third prize: Chef Daniel Brenchley of Latiko
Special mentions: 36 to 49m: Chef Giovanni Rocca of Penelope
35 meters and Under
First prize: Chef Charles Agouros of Centurion
Second prize: Chef Mehmet Yilmaz of Lady Luna
Third prize: Chef Bradley Thomas of Alberry
Special mentions: 35m and under: Chef Andrea Albanesi of Penguins
Tablescaping Competition
50 meters and Over
Donne Hodges of Holdin' My Own
36 to 49 meters
Rebecca Wadsworth of Seawolf X
35 meters and Under
Anjenette Kleynhans of Centurion
Judging was tough and in some categories, a close call. Chef Colin McGurran was impressed with what he saw and tasted, telling Dockwalk he thought this year’s task was particularly tough. “I think all the chefs did really, really well,” he said. The floral theme added an extra complexity, really testing the chefs’ creative prowess. “It was quite refreshing to see that not everything was edible flowers,” he noted.
So what impressed McGurran and his fellow judges most about this year’s entries? “I think that the cooking throughout was very good, but what really stood out for me was there's so many options you could have gone down and the ones who kept it to simple cooking, with bold flavors, who showed a bit more finesse, were the ones who shone through."
As the curtain falls on another edition, anticipation is already building for what next year’s contenders will bring to the table. Until then, the 36th MYBA Charter Show will be remembered as a celebration of exceptional talent, impressive teamwork — and, of course, Sanremo’s most beautiful blooms.
Congratulations to the worthy winners!